#aboriginal folklore

[eatorfuck]

Eat or Fuck: Bunyip

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Voting ended onDec 25, 2024

[fairylandblog]

The Mimi, Australian Aboriginal Faeries

Within the mythology of the indigenous peoples of northern Australia, the Mimi are remarkable faerie figures that hold a lot of fascination. Many people believe that these spirits are ethereal entities who inhabit the caverns and rocky escarpments of Arnhem Land. They are described as being thin and slender. Only on days with relatively little wind can their delicate, elongated forms develop, as a strong wind could potentially break them. Aboriginal mythology regards the Mimi spirits as among the most ancient creatures. It is believed that they taught early humans fire, bushcraft, hunting, and cooking. This relationship to the beginning of human skills elevates their place in Aboriginal culture as prominent ancestor figures who made substantial contributions to the creation of societal practices.

The likenesses of Mimi frequently grace cave walls and cliffs in rock paintings. These paintings are known as "rock paintings." Frequently depicted in these paintings are individuals participating in a variety of activities, such as hunting or dancing, which serves to emphasize their function as carriers of cultural information and traditions. The elongated, stick-like characters define these representations, reflecting the delicate nature of the subjects depicted. Moreover, Mimi is notorious for her naughty and mischievous behavior. They are jovial faeries that take pleasure in deceiving both humans and animals, frequently causing inconsequential problems or playing tricks that are completely harmless. Their mischievous nature portrays them as both benevolent teachers and playful tricksters. This adds a depth of complexity to their individuality. Mimi spirits have a significant cultural impact that extends far beyond their roles as teachers and pranksters. In addition to being an essential component of the Aboriginal people's spiritual landscape, they also represent a link to the land and their ancestors' history. Through their appearance in narratives and works of art, they serve to instill cultural values such as reverence for the natural world and the importance of acquiring knowledge about one's community.

Even in modern times, the stories and depictions of Mimi continue to be an essential component of the cultural expression of individuals of Aboriginal descent. Artists and storytellers honor them by creating art and transmitting their teachings from one generation to the next. In addition to highlighting the resiliency and adaptation of Aboriginal culture, this persistent presence also illustrates the profound connection that Aboriginal people have with the natural world. In conclusion, the Mimi spirits are a distinctive and significant component of the mythology found among the Aboriginal people of Australia. They take on the roles of cultural icons, mischievous prankster faeries, and old educators, and they are the embodiment of the Aboriginal people's rich traditions and beliefs. Art and storytelling are two of the most important roles that the Mimi continue to play in the preservation and transmission of cultural history is through the medium of art and storytelling. This helps to ensure that their legacy continues to be alive and well in the modern world.

[dancflorhardkor]

Creatuanary 2025 Day 14: Bunyip

[connectparanormal]

Ghosts in the Australian Outback

There are many mysteries and legends about the Australian Outback, which has huge, rough landscapes. One of the most common is about ghosts. Ghost stories and stories about spirits, passed down through generations, thrive in the haunting beauty of the outback. These stories include both Aboriginal and modern folklore, making for a rich tapestry of supernatural lore. Outback ghost stories are based on Aboriginal people's stories. The stories of Indigenous Australians reveal a strong cultural bond with the land. A lot of Aboriginal stories are about ancestral ghosts that roam the land. These are called dreamtime beings. People often perceive these spirits as protectors of sacred sites, and their manifestation demonstrates the interconnection between the spiritual and physical realms. In some stories, ghosts guide and protect their children and grandchildren, while in others, evil beings bring adverse luck to people who don't respect the land.

One of these stories is about the Min Min lights, which are strange balls of light that show up out of the blue in the night sky. Many people believe that these lights represent the spirits of ancestors helping the living or warning them of danger. Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous locals have both seen the Min Min lights, which adds to their status as a cross-cultural event. People who have seen the lights are filled with awe and wonder because they are difficult to catch on camera and disappear quickly. For example, stories of ghostly meetings in the outback continue to change over time, combining old beliefs with new experiences. Each story about a haunted farm, a ghostly stockman, or a ghostly traveler has its own twist. The outback's loneliness and emptiness make these stories seem even more real, and the wide, empty spaces let the mind run wild. Harold Lasseter is believed to have discovered the ghost of Lasseter's Reef, a lost gold mine, in the early 1900s, according to a well-known modern myth. Lasseter said he had found a lot of gold in the desert, but he died before he could say where it was. In the years since, many treasure hunters have gone into the bush to find the legendary reef, but they have all come back empty-handed. Some people say they saw Lasseter's ghost wandering the desert looking for his lost money. People say the ghost serves as a warning of the harshness of the outback. The ghost of the stockman, often seen riding at night and feeling his presence in the cool desert air, is another old story. People think that these ghostly stockmen are the spirits of drovers who died while pulling cattle across the rough terrain. People say their ghosts continue to travel through time, symbolizing the resilience of those who once lived in the outback.

Ghost stories from both the past and the present show how the bush is a unique mix of beauty and danger. Because the land is so big and isolated, it's hard to tell the difference between the living and the dead, which makes for interesting and strange stories. People tell these stories to stay connected to the land and to each other, as well as to keep alive the cultural traditions of those who have traveled the vast outback. The ghosts of the Australian bush, whether they are ancient spirits or modern phantoms, show how appealing this remote area still is. They capture the imagination by telling a story that goes beyond culture and time, reminding us of the mysteries we still don't fully understand. The outback will always be an untamed wilderness, and its ghost stories will continue to scare and excite people who go there.

[laurasimonsdaughter]

A supernatural wife never stays…

I’m always extra fascinated by folklore tropes that show up in a wide variety of cultures, so let’s look at another one: the supernatural/inhuman wife. These are usually stories about a man winning himself a wife that is decidedly not human, either through trickery or courtship. But it never lasts, because these stories all seem to have the same ending, the wife leaves:

Almost all selkie stories, both from Celtic and Nordic tradition, are an example of this. A man steals a selkie’s pelt and thereby binds him to her or leaves her stranded on land and in her desperation persuades her to come back with him and become his wife. After many years and many children she always finds her pelt, however, and as soon as she does she runs off to the sea. In most cases it turns out she has a husband and children in the sea too. In most she keeps leaving presents for her children and in some she still feels affection for her human husband, but she never goes back ashore. There are similar tales about swan-maidens.

An Aboriginal story from the Guugu Yimithirr-speaking people called “The forest spirit and his ten beautiful daughters” tells how the great hunter and warrior Gabul, the Carpet Snake, goes to the mountaintop where the powerful Forest Spirit, lives. He bests him in an unarmed fight, demanding to marry one of his daughters as reward before he will let him go. He takes the most beautiful of the ten daughters home to be his wife but starts worrying when she does not eat or drink. Eventually he takes her to the river and there she promptly turns into a fish and swims upstream back to her father’s mountain, leaving Gabul ashamed and broken-hearted.

There are also stories about fairy wives, most notably two from Wales. One, collected as “The Shepherd of Myddvai”, has a shepherd courts a beautiful maiden that dwells in a lake by bringing her bread. She agrees to go with him if he promises not to strike her three times without cause. Of course he promises this, but he taps her once for dallying to spur her into action, once in confusion when she weeps at a happy wedding, and once in disapproval when she laughs at a sober funeral. She declares their marriage ended and flees back to her lake, only returning once her sons are grown to give them gifts of healing. In the similar tale “Touched by Iron” a farmer’s son falls in love with a fairy maiden and the promise he must make her father is to never touch her with iron. One day as he helps his wife off her horse, she is touched on the knee by the stirrup of the saddle and vanishes. But with her mother’s help she does get to visit him sometimes afterwards, by standing on a large floating turf on a lake, so it could not be said she had set foot on human earth.

In a Chinese story called “The Painter”, from the 9th century bundle Wenqi lu, a learned man buys a screen with a painting of an inhumanly beautiful woman on it. The painter tells him of a ritual that might bring the woman to life and the man manages to call her to him. She steps out of the painting and consents to stay with him, they even have a son together. When the child is two years old, however, the man speaks with a friend of his, who immediately suspects the woman of being a dangerous creature and gives him a celestial weapon to kill her. As soon as he arrives home, his companion sobs that she is a mountain spirit who never asked to be painted by the painter and never asked to be called by him. She steps back into the painting, taking her child with her, leaving the man alone with a beautifully painted screen that now shows both her and the little boy.

[aquatic-indie-gal]

Day 5 of Inktober, Another Aboriginal Folk Creature of a Frog, the Yara-Ma-Yha-Who.

An Australian Red Amphibian Man-like creature who hunts through the Woods. Describe being Frog-like, these creatures have a Large Mouth with No Teeth but has Suckers at the end of its hands and feet.

For these creatures live in Fig Trees, they wait for their own dinner to arrive by travelers to rest under the trees. If you rest under a tree, it will immediately attack you by sucking all of your own blood by hand and feet just to swallow their own meal. But after it eats a Human Victim for Lunch, they would usually take a sip of Water in the Lake and then take a Nap. After when they wake up, they will usually turn their own victims into the Next Yara-Ma-Yha-Who.

Yara-Ma-Yha-Who (c) Aboriginal Mythology

[briefbestiary]

A strange diurnal creature, draining blood before swallowing its prey whole. It at least releases you alive, but try not to get caught more than once.

[spookcataloger]

“The story of Aunt Vav” by Blue (2014)